1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a synthetic resin-made cosmetic container of the type in which a cover part is joined to a container part by means of a hinge mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable cosmetic container, commonly called a "compact," is generally employed by people as means of conveniently carrying cosmetic substances. An existing type of a widely used compact is generally comprised of a structure in which the rear extremity of the cover part is rotatably joined to the rear extremity of the container part by means of a hinge, thus allowing the cover part to movably rotate as means of exposing or sealing the cosmetic substance held in the container part. This type of cosmetic container further employs a clasp mechanism installed at the front extremities of the aforesaid cover and container parts, said clasp mechanism serving as means of securing the cover to the container.
In many cases both the container and cover part of the compact are fabricated from synthetic resin for various reasons which include the desire to simplify the manufacturing process, reduce the weight of the compact, and provide convenient means of altering the appearance of the compact to attain various decorative effects.
In cases where the aforesaid container and cover parts are fabricated from synthetic resin, the hinge is normally fabricated from a metallic material. As recycling is becoming an increasingly desirable and prevalent method of conserving natural resources through reprocessing discarded items, the presence of metallic hinge pins in an otherwise all synthetic resin cosmetic container makes it difficult, time consuming, and inconvenient to recycle the compact as a synthetic resin product. Specifically, the metal hinge pins, which are often pressed into the container and cover parts through interference fit, must be removed before the compact can be recycled. Considering the difficulty of recycling a compact made from both synthetic resin and metal components, it would be advantageous to fabricate all of the compact's components, including the hinge pins, from a synthetic resin as means of making the compact completely recyclable.